Enter with Thanksgiving
Michael works at Gas Street Church, as Head of Communications and Gas Street Music Manager.
Psalm 100 (NIV)
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
There is an invitation to enter God's presence in today's Psalm. Let's focus on verse four, where he calls us to move beyond the gates and into the courts of the Lord.
The imagery here is worth noting. While this psalm doesn't specifically reference it, Solomon's Temple is often associated in various Psalms with the glory of God's dwelling place among his people. Solomon's Temple was surrounded by walls, with gates at the entry point. In those days, the priests brought animals to be sacrificed and offered them in the inner courts.
Fortunately for us, we don't have to do animal sacrifice anymore! Jesus has already paid the final and ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. Instead, we are invited to enter his presence with an offering of thanksgiving. I wonder how our worship, prayer, and devotional times would change if, as we began, we took time to express thanks, recalling God's faithfulness and remembering all that he has done and is doing in our lives. That act of thanksgiving enables us to become more aware of his presence in our lives, moving us beyond the gates into the temple of his presence.
It's also worth noting that we're not told to feel thankful but to express it! It's a discipline; we don't have to be thankful for everything but in everything. The Psalms give us many examples of people lamenting bad experiences, so we don't have to try hard to find something good in every bad thing that happens.
When we choose to give thanks, we shift our focus toward God's faithfulness and goodness, becoming more aware of his presence in our lives.
Prayer - Lord, I don't want to come to you empty-handed; remind me of your faithfulness and goodness. Please teach me how to express my thanksgiving.